SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Mercer catcher Carter Sanford and ETSU right-hander Nathanial Tate have been named the Southern Conference player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for all competition from April 17-23. The awards are selected by the league office.
 
Both were also listed among Collegiate Baseball’s National Players of the Week, powered by Diamond Sports.
 
Sanford hit .667, slugged 1.667 and had an on-base percentage of .714 over four games for the Bears. The junior from Fayette, Alabama, hit home runs in all four games, totaling nine RBIs and eight runs scored on the week. His three-run home run accounted for all of Mercer’s runs in a 13-3 setback at Georgia State on Wednesday, while he also drew a walk and was hit by a pitch to reach base three times on the day. Two days later, Sanford was a combined 3-for-5 in a doubleheader split at VMI, belting solo home runs in each game and scoring twice in game one. In Sunday’s rubber game of the series, Sanford singled in his first three at bats before hitting another solo home run in the ninth to cap a 4-for-6 day at the plate. He scored four times on the day and drove in four runs, setting or matching career highs in hits, runs and RBIs.
 
Mercer (25-15, 8-4 SoCon), which moved into a tie for first in the SoCon standings with its series win at VMI, visits Georgia Tech on Tuesday at 6 p.m. before returning home to host UNCG (17-23, 5-7) for a three-game SoCon set that starts Friday at 6 p.m.
 
Tate clinched the Bucs’ series win at The Citadel on Sunday with a nine-inning complete-game shutout. The senior from Manchester, Tennessee, scattered five hits and four walks and struck out a career-high 13 batters on the day in his career-long outing. Tate threw 124 pitches in the 1-0 win, with 78 of them going for strikes, and struck out eight of the first nine batters he faced. Tate threw ETSU’s first nine-inning complete-game shutout since 2019 and helped the Bucs, who won 10-0 on Saturday, to consecutive shutouts for the first time since 2007.
 
ETSU (17-20, 4-8) heads to Radford on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. nonconference tilt before returning home to welcome Western Carolina (15-23, 4-7) for three games starting Friday at 5 p.m.
 
Also nominated for player of the week: Garrett Wallace (ETSU), Dosi Jonas (UNCG), Jayden Davis (Samford), Cole Jenkins (VMI), Zach Ketterman (Western Carolina) and Ryan Galanie (Wofford).
 
Also nominated for pitcher of the week: Sam Swygert (The Citadel), Jacob Cravey (Samford), Ryan White (Western Carolina) and Matthew Marchal (Wofford).
 
 
2023 SoCon Players of the Week
Feb. 20        Ryan Galanie, Sr., 1B, Wofford
Feb. 27        Zac Morris, R-Jr., SS, VMI
March 6       David Wiley, So., OF, Wofford
March 13      Ryan Galanie, Sr., 1B, Wofford
March 20      Justin Starke, R-Jr., 3B, VMI
March 27      Stephen Klein, Sr., 1B, Samford
April 3          Dosi Jonas, Jr., DH, UNCG
April 10        Cole Jenkins, Jr., 3B, VMI
April 17        Trey Yunger, Sr., OF, Wofford
April 24        Carter Sanford, Jr., C, Mercer
 
2023 SoCon Pitcher of the Week
Feb. 20        Josh Harlow, So., RHP, Mercer
Feb. 27        Carson Hobbs, Jr., RHP, Samford
March 6       Nathanial Tate, Sr., RHP, ETSU
March 13      Josh Farmer, R-Sr., RHP, Mercer
March 20      Nathanial Tate, Sr., RHP, ETSU
March 27      Nick Torres, Gr., RHP, Western Carolina
April 3          Colton Cosper, So., LHP, Mercer
April 10        Cameron Reeves, Gr., RHP, The Citadel
April 17        Will Riley, R-So., RHP, VMI
April 24        Nathanial Tate, Sr., RHP, ETSU